Homelessness in The United States

883 Words2 Pages

Homelessness is a vast predicament in America and around the world. It is severely overlooked as people don’t really think of homelessness as real world problem. However, there have been ways that people have tried to fix the problem. They have come up with homeless shelters, emergency shelters, food banks and soup kitchens. These solutions have limitations though, which will hopefully come to an end. While Soup Kitchens are a way to feed the poor or homeless, it not a program that effectively helps the homeless onto their feet, it simply keeps them fed. (www.merriam-webster.com) These do help the unsheltered homeless population though. While there are shelters, not everyone has access to them or some even chose not to go. In the city of Los Angeles, there are about 27,000 homeless people who are unsheltered, that’s 1 in 378. There are various factors that cause homelessness; these include a decline in public assistance, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, job loss, divorce, low wages, poverty, severe depression, physical disabilities or mental illnesses. From the year 2011 to 2012, the number of homeless people skyrocketed. In New York City alone, there are more homeless people in the year 2014 than there were in the recession of the 1980s. (www.studentsagainsthunger.org) It is extremely difficult to keep track of all of the homeless individuals because there is a large proportion of them that live in vehicles abandoned houses or buildings, park areas. The number of homeless people varies throughout seasons as they seek shelter in warmer places. Homeless Shelters are described as “temporary residences” to protect vulnerable populations. Homeless shelters basically supply a bed for the night and are also a first come... ... middle of paper ... ...b. 19 May 2014. . "Emergency Shelter [HUD] Law & Legal Definition." Emergency Shelter [HUD] Law & Legal Definition. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014. . "Overview of Homelessness In America." Homelessness In America. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. . "Solutions." Coalition for the Homeless. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. . "What is the official definition of homelessness?." National Health Care for the Homeless Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014. . "soup kitchen." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 19 May 2014. .

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